Visible card record system



Oct. 5 1943. v mo 5 2,: .:s0,9"'53 VISIBLE pmnhmconn 'stsmm Filed March :51, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 'illlarlza l O 5, 1943- R. J. COPELAND v 2,330,953-

vxsnm CARD RECORD SYSTEM Filed Marph 31', 1942- '2 Sheets- Sheet 2 Inrnion Patented Oct. 5 1943 VISIBLECARD RECORD SYSTEM RobertLCopeland, Toronto, Ontario, Canada", 1'

"Application March lil, 1942; serial N4. 437.063]. l

8 claims; 01. liZil-dii) i This invention relates to improvements in visible card record systems; Numerous systems'have been devised for the keeping of accounts and records on'cards and holders of various types have been used which enable the cards-to be quickly scanned and from which an individual card may be selected and readily removed for additional entries or for other purposes.

The present invention *has been'devisedparticularly in'connection with that type of card record where drawers, 'cabinets or other types of holdersare provided with a plurality of parallelly arranged rods and the bottom edges of the cards are formed with a plurality of equally spaced notches to' receive the rods with th cards a'r rangedin echelon formation. In such a systemgroups of cards are separated by division boards or dividers and it has been the custom when it is desired to remove a group of cards from a drawer or tray, the group of cards and the-divider are grasped by the upper edges and lifted. It has been found that in thus transferring groups of cards serious disarrangements may occur and if the card or a divider slips in the fingers the entire group may become completely disorganized.

The principal object of the present invention is to avoid the accidental disarrangement of. cards during the handling of groups thereof and to further simplify the arrangement of the cards in the record cabinet and further, to modify. the cost of the equipment.

The principal feature of the invention consistsin providing the dividersfor'groups of cards with a trough-like bottom edge adapted to engage the bottom edges of the cards to enable their being lifted from the cabinet and further, that such trough arrangement on the divider i provided with means for engaging the notched cards to retain them in their spaced echelon arrangement.

A still further and important feature consists in the novel arrangement of notched means within the casing or holder adapted to engage the individual card-holding members in varied positions.

In the accompanying drawings 7 Figure 1 is-a perspective view of a card holdin cabinet showing the front and .one :end wall broken away and showing the arrangement of card-holding tray units therein.

. Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the upper portion of one of the tray for holding'the index card. i

-- Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the hinge joint of the card holder and index mem-,

her as shown in Figure 2.v i a members as illustratedin l igure 8 showing the Figure l is a vertical sectional view similarto- Figure 3 showing the index member turned downwardly. g K

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspectiv fragmentary view of the lower corner portion of one of the card holders illustrated in Figure 1. Figure 6 is an elevational detail view of a portion of a modified bottom member for one of the card holders. Figure? is la perspective view of'oneof the card holders illustrated in Figure 1 removed from the cabinet and showingrthe index holder turned.

downwardly and a card arranged therein raised from the placing holders in the bottom. a

Figure 8 is a fragmentary p rspective'detail looking into the inside end of a cabinet showing therarrangement of the individual card holders therein in two different positions and illustrating the means forjsupporting the card holders in various positions. V

FigureMQ .is an=enlarged fragmentary perspective detail of a portion of one of the card holders showing'the arrangement of an intermediate end supporting member. V I V V Figure l Ois a vertical sectional elevation of a portion of the end-phone of the card holdin upper pivotal pin upport.. y v V -Figure 11 shows a modified form of card holder. It has been found that with visible card record systems where the cards are placed in echelon ar-' rangement it is somewhat difficult for the operator to read items entered on the card close to the bottom thereof andthe presentv invention has been devised to enable the person examining the.

card tolift a definite groupof cards for close examination. This is accomplished in a very simple manner by'providin'g the bottom edge of the-separating boardwith a trough-like fconstru'ca tionwhich will extend-under the bottom edges ofh the cards so that'wh'en the board is lifted outthe cards will fnot'require to be held but will restin the trough-likestructure. a

Inthe preferred formof this invention the cabinet structureis simplified by dispensing with. the spacing rodsand each of the group-separat ing boards; is formed to comprise an-individual tray. 8 to receive and hold a. series of cards 9.

In t he preferred formof construction or the trays 8, the backboard, which is of rectangular.

form and of dimensions to'fit loosely between the endsof the cabinet I, is fabricated from a pluralityof sheets of metal, cardboard; or thin.

vulcanized fibre. M a V y As illustrated in detail in Figure 5 the outer Placed in the bottom of this U-shaped metal trough is a half round bar I6, which may be soldered or spot-welded in place, and mounted on the top flat surface of thebar 16 at spaced intervals'are a plurality of inverted U-shaped members I! preferably formed of sheet metal with out-turned lug ends which are soldered, riveted or spot-welded to the flat face of the l The card-holding tray may be lifted up to the second position shown in Figure 8 so that the lug [members-25,;a-teach end rest in the notched bar [6. ,l

The members I! are spaced apart to, iitinto the notches between the lugs of the c'ards'fi, v and while these members may be placed'in posi-I tion into each of the notches of a card they may,

be spaced apart every three or four notches, as illustrated clearly in: Figures '1, 5 and 7. If it is desired to havethesemembers arranged in every notch a long, thin strip of metal may be formed up to the shape illustrated in-Figure 61where thevided with a notched-bar l9 arranged at'the,

bottom and extending from front to back and the tray members when inserted into the cabinet will be spaced apart and held in their respective spaced positionsby'atheextending ends 20. of the bars [6 r'estingfin the 'notches' of the members I9. Therounded under side surfaces of the bars l5 form a-=rocking support for the trays.

' It will bereadily understood that cards such as used in previously known systems may be arrangedinthe trays in echelonarran'gement and the trays may be swung to a backwardlyslanting position," as illustrated in Figure 1-, while other trays forwardof them may be swung forwardly to allow the operator to examine the hooked bar 30,

round bottom edge support 26. This is set into the end of the tray member and is preferably spot-welded or riveted to the metal end binding strip 21 which it is preferred to reinforce the trays with at the ends.

This extension lug 25 normally is arranged below the notched strip 25 when the bottom bar extensions fit into the notched bars 19 at the bottom of the casing or cabinet. The tray may be lifted up a short distance, the lugs passing through the gaps or spaces24 and'th'en be hung in the notched flange of the bar 2l I also provide a bar 28 arranged adjacent to """the top edge of the cabinet which has an inward and upturned ."flange formed with notches 29.

bar 28.. I """When a tray is raised into this upper position it may be heldin a slanting position while the operator is working with same by means of a M hichais formed with a .piece of wire having a hookatfleach end, and which is slipped under the bottom edge of ,the tray which is raisedand the other hooked end is slipped over the topof the next forwardly iadjacenttray, or the bottom may engage the bar 2-1,

I-may provide eachof the trays with secondary end lug, projections 3;! arranged between the lugs 25 and the topof the tray a suitable distance so that the tray can be set into position with the bottom portion spaced from the bottom of record on the card, butif'the-operator cannot see the items onthe' card-clearly lie-may of'course remove the card if only one card is being examined, buthe may lift the tray with its complement of cards-out of the; cabinet without disturbing any of -the other trays andthe cards will beheld securely in the tray from disthe cabinet so that the end, lugs 20 of the bottom bars will .not' engage the notchedbars '19. This -will be found useful where, a cabinet may be crowded; for space, ,that is, where a letter or group of -letters .,req-uires asecondary tray and if the cabinetis full at the bottom the next tray can be insertedpas there, is, spacev between the trays; above the bottom trough-shaped portions. It.;will be noted i-n'reference to Figure 5 that in fabricating the back of, the. tray of three sheets the outerxsheet H, being bent around with the metal trough-shaped member 14 and the next sheet 12 abutting the edge of the trough-shaped member, the, inner sheet-projects inwardly beyond' the space of the troughrshaped member and overlapsthe top edges of thermembers I] secured to thebottom bar 16, so that when cards are being placed in position there will be n'o tendency for them to 'ca-tchbetween the; back of the tray and the looped 'lugmembe'rs. a

It may be desirable'thatan index be provided on each of the trays-and'ssuch a device may be arrangedin a very simple manner.

. trough-shaped member 35, having the -longitu-r side'of a cabinet showin'g'one tray resting in'the notched bottom end supports" I9. Slightly over mid-way of the height of thecabinet-I have arranged a bar 21 whichis shown provided with an inwardly "and :upwardly turned flange -22 formed "withppen notches 23; This inturned flange is preferably arranged in sectiongwith gapsfor spaces '24 therebetween to permit the 201 of the' bottom bars} to pass end extensions permit the passage upwardly freely, "and also to of lug extensions 25 which are arranged -intermediate of'th'e height of the trays and'exte'nding from the en'dsthereof,

One of these extension lugs erably turned-upwardly-;into*U-shape to form a 25 is illustrated in detail in l?"igure*9. "It is formed of apiece of-flat. sheet metal having a lug extension which i's pre'fi dinal edges. 36 turned-inwardly and-capable of receiving and holding the .edgesaof index :cards, is mounted on a hinge 31, one member of which is secured to the backr-pa nel ofthe tray. 5

This index member when swung upwardly in the position illustrated :in Figure may have the index slips 38' inserted therein to align with the index portion 'oflthe-cardst mounted in the tray. When the tray is not 11158 the hinged index member may-be turned downwardly to the position illustrated 'in'Fi gure 7 and it may have the key index character; :shown :on "the back thereof and w-henrzthe index member 'isvturned downwardly in the position illustrated in Figure '7 it forms a holder to hold the cards in that.

particular tray in place iso' that even very 'unusual handling of the itray willnot. 'dis'lodgethe cards from their proper position; if

A shallow It may be found desirable to dispense with this index member and a looped wire holder 38 may be hinged to the top of the tray as illustrated in Figure 11 to overlap the top edges of the cards spaced in the tray and hold same securely. This open wire loop will not obscure the material printed on the cards.

The tray may be taken out or lifted into any one of the positions herein described and illus trated, particularly in Figure 8, and the index member may be turned upwardly for reference, or the index members may be turned upwardly without lifting the tray from its normal position resting in the bottom support 19.

It will be readily appreciated that visible record cards of the type described may be placed in trays and the trays may be fitted into holding cabinets of various kinds, such as desk drawers or desk-top cabinets, or other and portable types.

A device such as described is extremely simple and may be manufactured at very low cost.

Instead of fabricating the back of the tray of a plurality of sheets, as shown in Figure 5, it may be made of a single thickness of fibre and the lower edge portion may be milled down to the required thinness to lap around the troughshaped metal reinforcement l4.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a visible card recordsystem, a tray comprising a back having its lower edge bent into trough-like form, a trough-shaped reinforcing strip secured to said bent portion of the back, and a plurality of upstanding lug members secured in the buttom of said reinforcement and equally spaced adapted to engage notches in the bottom edge of the record cards.

2. In a visible card record system, a tray having a trough-shaped bottom adapted to receive and hold a group of cards, cards arranged with their bottom edges within said trough-shaped bottom, means in the trough-shaped bottom for spacing said cards in overlapping endwise arrangement, and an index holder hinged to the top of said tray adapted to be swung downwardly to engage and hold the overlapped record cards within the tray.

3. In a visible card record system, a tray having a trough-shaped bottom adapted to receive and hold a group of cards, means'in the troughshaped bottom for spacing said cards in overlapping endwise arrangement, and an index holder- I hinged to the top of said tray adapted to hold index cards aligned with the overlapped record cards within the tray.

- 4. A tray for holding record carcls comprising a fiatback having its bottom edge bent into a trough shape, a trough-shaped metal reinforcement secured in the trough of said back, a half round bar secured in the bottom of said trough, and a plurality of lugs formed of U-shaped metal strips having their ends secured to the -upper edge of said half round bar, said lugs being equally spaced apart and adapted to efiect the endwise spacing of the record cards in said tray.

5. A tray as claimed in claim 1 in which a reinforcing bar is arranged in the trough-shaped strip and the lug members arranged in the bottom of the reinforcement comprising inverted U-shaped members having out-turned ends secured to the reinforcement.

6. A tray as claimed in claim 1 in which the trough-shaped reinforcing strip is arranged within the trough-shape bend of the back and has a return bent edge embracing the edge of the trough-shaped portion of said back.

. 7. A tray as claimed in claim 1 in which a half round bar is secured in the bottom of said reinforcing strip and the ends thereof extend beyond the tray and present bearing supports therefor, and a cabinet having notched bars at the bottom adapted to engage the extending ends of the bar extensions from saidtray.

8. In a visible card record system, a cabinet having notched bars arranged at the bottom and intermediate of the height of its sides, trays having trough-shaped bottoms to hold a group of record cards, lugs spaced wlthinsaid trough shaped tray bottoms to space the record cards therein, and means extending from the sides of said trays adapted for engagement in the notched bars at the sides of the cabinet to hold said trays in relative spaced arrangement.

- ROBERT J. COPELAND. 

